Benjamin Edward Spence (1822–1866) was a 19th century English sculptor, who spent much of his professional life in Italy.

Life

He was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in December 1822, the son of

William Spence William Guthrie Spence (7 August 1846 – 13 December 1926), was an Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australia's largest union, the Australian Workers' Union, and the Australian Labor ...

, a sculptor who later in life became a partner in a business house in Liverpool, and gave up the profession. In 1846 he was awarded the Heywood silver medal and a cash prize by the

Royal Manchester Institution The Royal Manchester Institution (RMI) was an English learned society founded on 1 October 1823 at a public meeting held in the Exchange Room by Manchester merchants, local artists and others keen to dispel the image of Manchester as a city l ...

for a group in clay of the death of the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

at the

battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops agains ...

. His father was persuaded by John Gibson to send Edward to Rome. There he entered the studio of Richard James Wyatt, and also received help from Gibson. He died at

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

(then known as Leghorn) on 21 October 1866. In 1870 Christie's auctioneers in London and a sale of his Italian studio works brought from Rome.The Art Journal (magazine) 1870 p.221

Works

Between 1849 and 1867 Spence contributed to the exhibition of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

five times: in 1850 with "Ophelia", in 1856 "Venus and Cupid", in 1861 "Hippolytus", and in 1867 "The Parting of Hector and Andromache". He contributed "Highland Mary" to the Exposition Universelle 1855, and two works, "Finding of Moses" and "Jeanie Deans before Queen Caroline", to the

International Exhibition 1862 The International Exhibition of 1862, officially the London International Exhibition of Industry and Art, also known as the Great London Exposition, was a world's fair held from 1 May to 1 November 1862 in South Kensington, London, England. Th ...

. A number works of his that were not exhibited in England were engraved for the '' Art Journal''. *Statue of Lavinia for Mr Holmes of

(1849) *Statue of Ophelia for

Thomas Brassey Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about o ...

MP (1850) *Tomb of Richard James Wyatt in the

Protestant Cemetery, Rome The Non-Catholic Cemetery (), also referred to as the Protestant Cemetery () or the English Cemetery (), is a private cemetery in the Rioni of Rome, rione of Testaccio in Rome. It is near Porta San Paolo and adjacent to the Pyramid of Cestius, ...

(1851) * Highland Mary at

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

(1854) *Bas relief in a monument to Ann Catherine Jane Smith (died 1854) in

St Matthias' Church, Burley St Matthias' Church is an Anglican church in Burley, Leeds, Burley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The church was completed in 1854 and the north aisle and west porch were added in 1886. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The church was funded b ...

. *Monument to Lt James Marshall in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

Parish Church (1855) *Busts of Mr and Mrs

, formerly at Normanhurst Court (dnk) * Archdeacon Jonathan Brooks at

St George's Hall, Liverpool St George's Hall is a building on St George's Place, opposite Liverpool Lime Street railway station, Lime Street railway station in Liverpool city centre, the centre of Liverpool, England. Opened in 1854, it is a Neoclassical architecture, Neocla ...

(1856) *Rebecca at the Well at

Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 w ...

(1860) *The Finding of

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

at the International Exhibition 1862 *Jeannie Deans before Queen Caroline at the International Exhibition 1862 *The Angel's Whisper for James Smith of Liverpool (1863) *The Lady of the Lake for

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

(1863) *

Flora MacDonald Flora MacDonald (1722 – 5 March 1790) is best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family had generally backed the government during the 1745 Rising, and MacDonald l ...

Stanley Park, Liverpool Stanley Park is a park in Liverpool, England, designed by Edward Kemp, which was opened on 14 May 1870 by the Mayor of Liverpool, Joseph Hubback. It is significant among Liverpool's parks on account of its layout and architecture. It has a gr ...

(dnk)

Notes

References

Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Benjamin Edward 1822 births 1866 deaths English male sculptors Artists from Liverpool 19th-century English sculptors 19th-century English male artists